I don't know if this is little, but I freaking hate mechanics who royally screw things up.

A little background: I have always done my own work on my own car. The exception to this is the time I did not live near my father. I lack a decent and complete set of tools (I have some, but never what I need) and while I was living in apartments, the rules forbid me from working on my car anyway. While I lived in North Dakota, I needed new brakes. I was forced to take the car to a shop and have a "real" mechanic do the work.

So, my irritation for today: I had to change the front brake pads. I jack up the car, pull the front tires off and attempt to remove the lower caliper bolts. I say attempt, because it was a mission. You see, that "real" mechanic had cross threaded the stupid bolts, utterly destroying them. Replacement bolts 11 bucks each and must be special ordered, as they're not a part that any of the stores around here carry regularly. My father rigged the bolts so I wouldn't be completely without transportation, but the warning is "don't go anywhere rescuing you would be inconvenient. Yea, sure. Maybe I'll just stay home all week.

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Some people lift weights. I lift measures. It's a far more esoteric workout. - (Quoted from a personal friend)

I don't know if this is little, but I freaking hate mechanics who royally screw things up.

A little background: I have always done my own work on my own car. The exception to this is the time I did not live near my father. I lack a decent and complete set of tools (I have some, but never what I need) and while I was living in apartments, the rules forbid me from working on my car anyway. While I lived in North Dakota, I needed new brakes. I was forced to take the car to a shop and have a "real" mechanic do the work.

So, my irritation for today: I had to change the front brake pads. I jack up the car, pull the front tires off and attempt to remove the lower caliper bolts. I say attempt, because it was a mission. You see, that "real" mechanic had cross threaded the stupid bolts, utterly destroying them. Replacement bolts 11 bucks each and must be special ordered, as they're not a part that any of the stores around here carry regularly. My father rigged the bolts so I wouldn't be completely without transportation, but the warning is "don't go anywhere rescuing you would be inconvenient. Yea, sure. Maybe I'll just stay home all week.

I was getting new tires somewhere, I think it was a national chain. They couldn't get the nut off to actually remove the tire. So what did they do? Kept trying. Used their hydraulic equipment to keep trying to get this stuck nut off. Turns out they had cross threaded it on last time the car had been in to get the tires done (it was my parents at the time) and nobody noticed. So now they want to charge ME an extra $XXX because they have to sand the nut off and replace the bolt or something ridiculous like that.

Luckily, though I was in college at the time, my parents were visiting the next weekend. I brought my dad in who had taken the car last time and who had owned it until the week before I took in the first time. He calmly explained that not only would we NOT be paying for them to fix this, but they were to document that it was their fault in the first place and if there were any problems within a reasonable amount of time, they would be fixed as well.

Example: Casual Acquaintance asked my advice on, let's say, the best way for her daughter's store to promote a sale of Whozits and Whatsits. She didn't tell me what daughter was doing, but asked an open-ended question.

I asked her, "Are you sure you want my advice?" I asked because sometimes people ask for advice but don't really want it. (To wit, the following conversation.)

CA insisted she did want the advice as I have years of experience promoting Whozits and Whatsits. I gave her my advice.

CA exploded, "But that's not what my daughter is doing!"

I shrugged and said, "Oh? Well, you asked my advice. I gave it. Take it or leave it. It's no skin off my back either way."

"Are you saying my daughter is incompetent! How dare you!"

At which point all conversation around our table ceases and a tablemate -- who is good friends with CA -- intercedes and says, "Now Cami said nothing of the sort. You asked her advice. She gave it. No one is forcing your daughter to take her advice or saying she's incompetent for doing it another way."

"I don't have to calm down! She insulted my daughter!"

The rest of the table then tries to calm her down.

At that point, I got up and left, figuring that she was enjoying either her anger and/or the spotlight of offended motherhood.

See, I have this weird ability (that has waned in recent years.) In my 20s, it was darn near uncanny. See, I could see auras. My record is a 100% accurate evaluation of someone I never met, only heard a (rosy-glassed) description of her from an acquaintance via internet chat. The thing I learned with that ability is this: NO ONE wants an honest evaluation. They want a unicorn crossing a field of rainbow flowers carrying a basket of puppies in its mouth while kittens ride on its back. I'd make sure they wanted accuracy instead of back-patting, they'd assure me that "Oh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't!", I'd tell them, they wouldn't talk to me for a month or so, then they'd come back apologizing because hey.. they were what I said they were.

See, I have this weird ability (that has waned in recent years.) In my 20s, it was darn near uncanny. See, I could see auras. My record is a 100% accurate evaluation of someone I never met, only heard a (rosy-glassed) description of her from an acquaintance via internet chat. The thing I learned with that ability is this: NO ONE wants an honest evaluation. They want a unicorn crossing a field of rainbow flowers carrying a basket of puppies in its mouth while kittens ride on its back. I'd make sure they wanted accuracy instead of back-patting, they'd assure me that "Oh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't!", I'd tell them, they wouldn't talk to me for a month or so, then they'd come back apologizing because hey.. they were what I said they were.

I'd be too terrified to ask because I'd be convinced there was some horrible thing out there that I was too blind to notice.

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Some people lift weights. I lift measures. It's a far more esoteric workout. - (Quoted from a personal friend)

See, I have this weird ability (that has waned in recent years.) In my 20s, it was darn near uncanny. See, I could see auras. My record is a 100% accurate evaluation of someone I never met, only heard a (rosy-glassed) description of her from an acquaintance via internet chat. The thing I learned with that ability is this: NO ONE wants an honest evaluation. They want a unicorn crossing a field of rainbow flowers carrying a basket of puppies in its mouth while kittens ride on its back. I'd make sure they wanted accuracy instead of back-patting, they'd assure me that "Oh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't!", I'd tell them, they wouldn't talk to me for a month or so, then they'd come back apologizing because hey.. they were what I said they were.

This really grates me, too. People who ask for advice and then act as though it was your job to realise that they really just wanted you to confirm whatever they were thinking/doing already. It really is ridiculous: you directly ask for something, are given an honest but polite answer, and start fuming and throwing a temper tantrum. This is incredibly immature and ridiculous: it really is a case of making your own bed and having to lie in it.

I always start off slow: "what your currently doing sounds fantastic and wonderful and rainbows and sparkles, but possibly, possibly, it would be ever so slightly easier for you if you were to entertain for the briefest moment the notion of perhaps considering this marginally different thing..." and if they start turning red and exhaling steam, then I immediately back off. "Oh, sorry, for a moment there I misunderstood the situation. You're perfect just as you are. Now let me just go and get some bean dip."

Most requests for advice go this way, sadly. It's strange that so many people just don't want to receive what they directly ask for. I can't help but take it as an indication that mentally they're not quite an adult, no matter what their actual age. There've been a few threads recently displaying this effect, sadly, as well.

Not mine, but my DH's. He worked retail for several years. His eye will still start to twitch if he hears someone say at a checkout, 'No price tag? That means it's free, right? Ha ha ha!'

Overused jokes of any kind drive me insane. A good rule of thumb is, if you've ever used a certain joke in the past, or even heard of anyone anywhere in the world having used it within all of human history, shut up already. The worker you're talking to has already heard your joke many, many times.

That said, I've been beaten down enough that even that doesn't bother me too much. What really, truly bugs the snot out of me is people who are honest to gods offended when you don't think their cliched joke is hilarious. I had a woman last month come up to the desk during an especially busy time and make a joke, I wish I could remember what it was, but it wasn't particularly funny, nor was it particularly unfunny. It was just there. I gave it the usual chuff of air and faint smile I've developed for this sort of situation, and she stopped our transaction and glared at me.

"You should laugh. That was funny!"

That's not actually in my job description, believe it or not. And by and large these are the same people who would get upset if something on the order of "Taxpayer Money Used To Pay Workers To Laugh At Bad Jokes" were to show up in the newspaper, so I probably couldn't win either way.

See, I have this weird ability (that has waned in recent years.) In my 20s, it was darn near uncanny. See, I could see auras. My record is a 100% accurate evaluation of someone I never met, only heard a (rosy-glassed) description of her from an acquaintance via internet chat. The thing I learned with that ability is this: NO ONE wants an honest evaluation. They want a unicorn crossing a field of rainbow flowers carrying a basket of puppies in its mouth while kittens ride on its back. I'd make sure they wanted accuracy instead of back-patting, they'd assure me that "Oh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't!", I'd tell them, they wouldn't talk to me for a month or so, then they'd come back apologizing because hey.. they were what I said they were.

This really grates me, too. People who ask for advice and then act as though it was your job to realise that they really just wanted you to confirm whatever they were thinking/doing already. It really is ridiculous: you directly ask for something, are given an honest but polite answer, and start fuming and throwing a temper tantrum. This is incredibly immature and ridiculous: it really is a case of making your own bed and having to lie in it.

I always start off slow: "what your currently doing sounds fantastic and wonderful and rainbows and sparkles, but possibly, possibly, it would be ever so slightly easier for you if you were to entertain for the briefest moment the notion of perhaps considering this marginally different thing..." and if they start turning red and exhaling steam, then I immediately back off. "Oh, sorry, for a moment there I misunderstood the situation. You're perfect just as you are. Now let me just go and get some bean dip."

Most requests for advice go this way, sadly. It's strange that so many people just don't want to receive what they directly ask for. I can't help but take it as an indication that mentally they're not quite an adult, no matter what their actual age. There've been a few threads recently displaying this effect, sadly, as well.

On the other end of the spectrum. When you tell some one you don't want their advice, but they insist on giving it anyway. Then they get upset when you don't use their advice.

Edit: Because I can form sentences and use punctuation. Really! I can!!

« Last Edit: July 16, 2013, 09:12:30 AM by laud_shy_girl »

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“For too long, we've assumed that there is a single template for human nature, which is why we diagnose most deviations as disorders. But the reality is that there are many different kinds of minds. And that's a very good thing.” - Jonah Lehrer

Mine has sayings related to every type of animal or bird on the planet. Going to a animal theme park (SeaWorld/Busch Gardens) or a zoo is terrible, because he will repeat the same line until someone laughs. I want to abandon him some days, I swear.

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“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."-J.R.R Tolkien

Mine has sayings related to every type of animal or bird on the planet. Going to a animal theme park (SeaWorld/Busch Gardens) or a zoo is terrible, because he will repeat the same line until someone laughs. I want to abandon him some days, I swear.

Oh yeah. My FIL will hit a 'funny' name for a situation or object and use it at every possible opportunity until you want to scream. Motorcycle becomes 'murdercycle' - and since we live in an area with a large number of motorcyclists, it came up a *lot*. Driving around the mountains near our home, every large home (and again, there are many - it's a popular retirement/2nd home area) was a 'li'l ol' shanty house'.

I have had one for nearly a month, and it refuses to heal completely. Just sits there, getting more and more irritated and painful as the day progresses. When I wake up, it looks *almost* healed, but goes through the same process every day.

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My cousin's memoir of love and loneliness while raising a child with multiple disabilities will be out on Amazon soon! Know the Night, by Maria Mutch, has been called "full of hope, light, and companionship for surviving the small hours of the night."